Revenge
by Justinian14
Summary: When you live your life only for revenge, there's not much room for virtue. Can Gan Ning change as he learns the truth, or will he forever be known as a ruthless pirate. GNxSSX, others
1. Beginnings

Revenge

Summary: When you live your life only for revenge, there isn't much room for virtue. Can Gan Ning change as he learns the truth, or will he be remembered as a ruthless pirate. GNxSSX, others

Author's Notes: My third story. Once again it doesn't follow history. Don't be frightened by the Gan Ning in this story, this happens before he reforms (you'll see). Anyway, depending on how many reviews I get, I'll see how often I can update. Hope you enjoy, and please leave a review.

The blood was now flowing through the once peaceful valley. Hundreds of soldiers had been killed, the massacre was complete. They had come through the passage not thinking their prey would turn and fight so ferociously. They paid for their underestimation with their lives. The village in the east was now abandoned, most of the townspeople were now captives. With the Imperial army completely destroyed, their lives were in the hands of these river pirates and their leader, the bandit of silken sails, Gan Ning of the Bells.

Riding up on his horse, his bells ringing softly, Gan Ning made his way to the top of the hill. There, the villagers had been arrayed and placed under guard, and waiting for him a few of his men held a special captive. The man was down on his knees, trembling in his purple and gold armor. He stared at the ground, not daring to even look at Gan Ning.

"Who is he?" Gan Ning asked in a low, calm voice.

"These papers say he is Zhu Jun, an Imperial District Commander. Get this! He's got an imperial edict for 'the capture or kill of the pirate Gan Ning and his band'." The soldier laughed as he read the paper.

Gan Ning got down of his horse, and took out his large broadsword. He walked slowly towards the officer. "Do you want to live?" Ning's question seemed to give the officer hope, he raised his head and looked at Ning. The answer was the obvious. Ning grabbed the man by his hair, forcing his head up, as he put his sword to the man's throat. "Then give me the answer to my question and nothing else. Where is the red general?"

The officer was confused, he tried to think but he couldn't. "Wh...what? I don't know a re..."

Before he could finish, Gan Ning forced his blade through his neck, decapitating him in a single, smooth stroke. Many of the villagers screamed and looked away, even many of Ning's pirates gasped. Ning still held onto the severed head, angrily he threw the bloody head against the trunk of a tree. Leaving a grim mark, of fresh crimson blood. Many around him were flabbergasted.

Frustrated, Gan Ning started to walk of toward his tent. Before he could get far he was stopped by his right hand man, Xia Fen. Compared with Ning, Fen was a virtuous man as well as a talented strategist. It was Fen who convinced Ning to wear his bells, to at least give the common people a chance to either run or prepare a feast.

"Ning wait. What should we do with these people."

Gan Ning looked back at the couple of hundred people they ha captured, and didn't give them a second thought. "Kill them!"

"But Ning..." Fen pleaded.

Gan Ning waved him off. "Fine, do whatever you want, just don't bother me."

Gan Ning turned once again and walked off, not caring about what would happen behind him. It didn't take long until he reached his large circular tent. He moved the flap and walked in, placing his sword down, he realized there was someone else in there. Tied to the the center pole, sat a beautiful young women, her mouth was gagged, her hair was disheveled, her clothes torn. She looked up with her watery eyes, and started to whimper when she saw who it was.

Gan Ning realized his men must of done this. They have done this many times, thinking it makes their leader happy. Ning thought it was more annoying than anything else. Taking a deep breath and shaking his head, he took out his knife. He was too frustrated right now to deal with anything like this. He walked slowly toward the woman. As he got closer, she started to squirm around and whimper louder. Ning walked up to her, and, using the knife, cut the ropes binding her. He then walked of to his bed and sat down. He started to take off his shoes. It took a few minutes for the woman to realize what happened. She opened her eyes and saw that she was free. She removed her gag, and looked around. She saw Ning in the corner, and overcome with joy, she walked over to him.

Bowing down low in front of him she spoke, "Oh thank you my lord, thank you. You have saved my..."

She was stopped as Gan Ning brought the knife up to her throat. "Look! You caught me at a bad time. If you want to live, get out of here. If you want to die, keep talkin."

She didn't move for a second, but seeing his unmoving face, she backed away and ran off. Ning watched her leave, then, taking another big breath, he lied down.

"I wonder what dream I'm on tonight."

(2000 Li away)

Sun Jian raised his sword and called for his force to form up behind him. Seeing them ready, he gave a yell, swung his sword, and pushed his horse forward. He charged across the field, toward the city, his army following closely behind. He was flanked by many of his top commanders. Sun Ce, Zhou Yu, and Han Dang on his right, Huang Gai, Cheng Pu, and Ling Cao on his left. Following just behind him, as he had ordered, Sun Shang Xiang, Xiao Qiao, and Da Qiao tried to keep up.

The unorganized army of rebels watched as the Tiger of Jiang Dong came charging toward them. They lost all heart and started to flee in any direction they could. Sun Jian and his generals cut through their enemy. Deciding to leave the rebels for the army, he lead his commanders to try and capture, Ou Xing, the rebel behind the uprising. They caught him at the city wall, trying to flee eastward. After a brief struggle with Ou Xing's bodyguards, they had him captured.

Sun Ce brought the bound Ou Xing to his father throwing him down in front of him. Sun Jian reached down from his horse and picked up Ou Xing by his helmet. Showing his great strength, Sun Jian held him up, his legs dangling helplessly, as he was being choked by the strap of his helmet.

"Ou Xing, I hold and edict from the Emperor himself, to suppress this uprising and kill its leader. Do you have any last words?"

"Th...The house of Han...will fall." Ou Xing spat in Sun Jian's face.

In a fit of rage, Sun Jian picked Ou Xing up in both hands and with all his strength threw him into the city wall. With a loud, horrible thud Ou Xing's body hit the wall, and fell down to the ground, blood pouring out everywhere.

Sun Shang Xiang came up next to her father, "Geez dad. Did have throw him against the wall."

"He spit on me." Sun Jian defended. Shang Xiang just rolled her eyes.

"That was a piece of cake. I guess Zhou Yu was right, after all." Sun Ce came forward on his horse.

"Those rebels were so unorganized, they couldn't withstand even a single frontal assault." Zhou Yu came up from behind Sun Ce.

"That was fun, we should do it again sometime." Xiao came up next to her husband, leaning over and giving him a kiss.

"Xiao please, this battle may have been easy but it is not a game." Da had gotten of the horse Xiao and her had shared, and gotten on Ce's horse holding tightly around him.

"I think the little missy's right. That wasn't even worth the effort. I say we go find someone else to fight." Ling Cao added.

"You gotta calm down Cao. I'd hate to think what would happen to your son if you get hurt." Sun Jian tried to calm down his commander.

"So what are we going to now, father." Sun Shang Xiang asked.

"Let's go into the city. We can find something to do in there."

The ten generals entered the city. The people lined up on and rejoiced. Ou Xing's tyranny was over, now they could once again be loyal to the Emperor. The praised the generals as hero's, and honored them with gifts. Peace had finally been restored, but for how long none of them knew.


	2. Nightmares

AN:Ok, here's chapter 2. Hope you enjoy it and please leave a little review(I can't make it better if i don't know what you think). Thanks.

Chapter 2

_The 12 year old Gan Ning joined his father on the deck of their boat. "Father, my pet bird died again."_

_His father, Gan Xin, immediately turned away from his business, "Another one? What happened this time?" _

_"I was just trying to see how much he could carry."_

_Gan Xin sighed, "Ning, you have to start taking care of your pets."_

_Gan Ning, without remorse, threw the dead bird overboard. His father looked upon his son with worried eyes._

_There was a commotion coming from the docks, looking over Gan Ning saw a man coming their way. He was a large man, his face was strong and determined, his appearance showed that he was a great leader. His armor was his most striking feature, it was colored red and the sun glared off of it. It seemed to Ning, that he was more of a tiger than a man. Behind him walked many guards, fully armored as well, halberds in hand. They came straight towards them, their leader not once taking his eyes off Gan Xin._

_Seeing them coming, Gan Xin moved quickly. He told his wife and daughters to go below, and went to meet the man on the dock. Ning watched but before the man reached his father, he was pulled back into his cabin by Xia You, his father's right hand man. _

_It was now dark, as the fire raged through the ship. Ning, his father, and all there men fought off the flames that threatened to devour their ship. Even though much had already been destroyed, the fire arrows kept coming. Shooting up through the forest, fire rained down upon them. His father saw the situation was hopeless. _

_Suddenly, Ning was cast into the water. His father had disappeared from his view, he had gone down below to find his mother and sisters. Finding a large piece of wood, he held on and watched. The rest of the men, jumped from the burning vessel, only to be shot by arrows from the woods. He watched as a large explosion sent Xia You flying into the water, the arrows mercilessly rained down upon him. Ning sat there and watched as the ship burned and burned, and no sign of his father, mother, or any of his sisters. With every passing minute hope diminished, then after much waiting everything went black._

_He awoke on the shore. Looking up he could see the dark shades of men in the woods, their crossbows ready. Another figure walked slowly up to him. He was unable to see his face through the dark, but he could see the red armor as it glistened in the moonlight. He watched as the man grinned evilly at him, his teeth showing even through the mysterious darkness around his face. He came right up above Ning, picked his foot up, and brought it down..._

Gan Ning awoke suddenly, breathing heavily, just as he always did. Xia Fen stood in his tent.

"Ning! There is something very important you should see." Xia Fen was one of the only people who knew of Ning's nightmare, he also shares his hatred for this red general.

Gan Ning pulled himself back together, and quickly went out to see what had happened. Xia Fen led him to where many men had gathered. Making there way to the center, Fen gave Ning a letter.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. It was attached to this arrow, then shot into our camp. We just found it."

Ning opened the letter and carefully read, as his men waited in anticipation. He finished reading, dropped the letter to the ground, and looked up to the stars. "Sun Jian." He whispered to himself. "All you men get ready, we move out at dawn!"

Xia Fen ran forward, picking up the letter, and read it quickly. "Changsha? Ning wait."

"What is it now Fen?"

"We don't even know who this letter is from, how can we just believe this so easily? This could just be a trap."

"I don't care Fen. I don't care who sent the letter, or if this is just a trap. Let Sun Jian have his devious ploys. In the end, I will find him and I will kill him." With that, Ning turned.

"Ning, I want this Sun Jian dead, for what he did to my brother, just as much as you do. But we can't just ruin our lives and the lives of our men."

"Fen, you and anybody else who doesn't want to come, can do what they want. I'll go alone, but remember this, a man cannot live without first honoring his parents." Ning started to walk away.

"Your father would not have wanted this." Fen yelled at Nings retreating form. Ning stopped for a moment then kept walking.

Sun Shang Xiang happily walked down the hall, it was a beautiful day. Reaching her destination, she knocked briefly on the door. She poked her head in through the door and eyed her father. "Hey dad, you called for me."

Sun Jian looked up from his desk, and, seeing his daughter, immediately stood up. Waving his hand, he beckoned her in. "Come in, I want to talk to you about something."

Shang Xiang came in and sat down, "What's up."

"I just wanted to talk to you about...about...your...aaaaaa...relationships."

Shang Xiang realized what this was about. She put he head down in her hands, showing her frustration. "Come on Dad, do we have to talk about this now."

"Please just here me out..."

"But dad..."

"No, you be quiet now." Sun Jian took a deep breath and leaned against his desk. "Look, I just want you to know that...I won't always be here." Sun Shang Xiang tried to say something but she was stopped. "No, just wait. I won't always be here, ok. I'm just worried what might happen to you if I leave. You know..."

"Yeah I know, not all fathers would let me act like I do." Shang Xiang said, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, not many would let you turn into a tomboy like you have. I just hate to think of what would happen if I wasn't here. There's nothing wrong with your brothers, but...Ce is just too stupid and rash to be trusted to take care of you, and Quan he's just too influenced by your mother. I love your mother, but I'm sure she'll try and change you into the daughter that she wanted, and I know you won't be happy with that. Do you see what I'm saying. Maybe a...husband could take care of you after I'm gone."

"Hey, who said I can't take care of myself when..."

"Shang Xiang." Sun Jian looked his daughter straight in the eye.

Sun Shang Xiang took a deep breath, then gave up. "Fine, ok. I'll start...looking into it."

"That's all I wanted." Sun Jian gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead. "Now get out of here, I got work to do."

Shang Xiang walked out of the room, closing the door, she leaned against them and closed her eyes.

"Hey, what's the matter princess." Xiao Qiao asked cheerfully, as always. She was followed by Zhou Yu, Sun Ce, and Da Qiao.

"Ohhhh, nothing. My dad just wants me to find a husband." Shang Xiang said sarcastically.

"Actually, thats not a bad idea." Da Qiao came in, looking for a bit of support.

"Yes, it's about that time in life for you to at least be looking for a husband." Zhou Yu added.

"I don't know guys, do you really think we should ruin some poor guys life and have him marry her." Sun Ce ducked as a book was thrown by his head.

"Stop it Ce. We should help Shang Xiang in her hunt, it could be fun. Xiao and I can fix you up with someone."

"Guys that won't be neces..." Sun Shang Xiang tried to stop them but it was too late, she was quieted by Xiao.

"Off the top of my head, how about Lu Meng or Taishi Ci."

"Na, their a bit too old."

"How about my student Lu Xun." Zhou Yu tried.

"Na, he's a bit too young."

"It's going to be hard to find a husband for her in Wu. Right now, most of the bachelors are either too old or too young." Sun Ce flinched at the thought of another flying book, but none came.

"Yep, well I guess that it then. Tell me if you guys think of anything. Later!" Shang Xiang went running down the hallway.

Da took a disappointed breath, and looked at her sister. Xiao was still motivated to find a match. "Don't worry someone will come along."


	3. The Red Armor Falls

AN: Sorry this update has come so late. I'm trying to finish my other story. Thanks for the reviews and please leave some more. I won't be able to update though unless I get some more reviews. Please enjoy.

Chapter 3 "The Red Armor Falls"

"Have you guys tried this soup? It's incredible!" said Sun Shang Xiang, as she raised the bowl to her mouth, shoveling in as much as she could.

The Qiao sisters watched in horror, as Shang Xiang lowered an empty bowl and gulped down a mouthful of soup. Some o the broth was still dripping down the side of her mouth, she wiped it off with her arm, and belched as she patted her stomach contently.

Da turned to her sister, "That was the most horrible thing I've ever seen."

"I know, it may be harder to find her a husband than we thought." Answered Xiao, as Shang Xiang glared at the two.

The main door opened, and a tired Sun Jian came walking in.

"Hey pops, how's the paperwork coming?" Sun Ce said, comfortably leaning back in his chair.

Sun Jian looked at him and grunted, "You should really be at least helping me with this stuff."

Ce went for his drink and effectively got himself out of the conversation.

A smiling Shang Xiang stood up and handed her father a bowl, "Don't worry about it now dad, have some of the soup."

Sun Jian smiled to his daughter, as he accepted the bowl, but his face fell again, looking down into a large empty pot.

"And that would be your charming little daughter." Zhou Yu remarked quietly.

Sun Shang Xiang backed away with a nervous smile and, as someone else walked in through the door, she found a new subject to talk about. "Hey Tong, how's the studies going?"

Ling Tong shrieked as he heard that question.

Zhou Yu looked deviously at him, "Yes, Ling Tong. How goes your studies? You must be doing much on your own, considering me and Lu Xun waited for you all last night."

Ling Tong nervously sat down as far from Zhou Yu as he could, "Well, you know...I had to...you know...ummm..."

"Oh, just stop this already. Ling Tong you'd better start going to lessons again or you'll just end up a stupid brute!" Yelled a frustrated Sun Jian. Everyone sat down, and silence ensued, until finally Sun Jian spoke again. "By the way, where is your father?"

"I think he went down to the blacksmith. There was a problem with his armor."

Before Sun Jian could answer, a soldier came running into the room.

"My lord, we have a situation."

(Outside the city)

Gan Ning was staring angrily at the city. He had not bothered to line up his men, so they stood behind him in an unorganized mass. Red flags were flying over the city and he was certain, the general, he was looking for, was in there. With his sword at his side and a bow in his hand, he slowly started to move his horse forward. Xia Fen moved forward to speak but then backed away. Ning moved out 30 paces in front of his small force, within bow shot of the city.

He looked over the walls a few times and took long deep breathes. He could see many soldiers dotting the wall staring down at him. He took one last deep breath, and with all the force in his body he yelled, "SUN JIAN!"

Waiting a few seconds ago, he yelled again. "SUN JIAN!"

(Back inside the city)

As Sun Jian, Zhou Yu, Sun Ce, Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, Sun Shang Xiang, and Ling Tong walked up the steps, they could hear the loud booming voice even through the thick walls. They made it to the top of the wall and looked down upon the field to observe what was going on. What they saw surprised them. A small unorganized group, of what seemed like river pirates, numbering, they guessed, about 500. The source of the loud voice was a man, who seemed like the leader, standing out in front of the troop. He was a scantly armored man, muscular but not so large that he would look terrifying. But even from where they were, they could see the large, imposing sword at his side.

"SUN JIAN!" The man screamed again.

"Who is he?" Sun Jian asked.

"We don't know, we thought you would." The soldier answered.

"SUN JIAN!" He screamed again.

Sun Jian turned to Zhou Yu. "What do you think?"

"Are you certain you don't know this man?" Sun Jian nodded. "Then this could be a trap? Someone could be using this man to lure you out."

"SUN JIAN YOU COWARD! COME OUT AND FIGHT ME!"

Sun Jian and all his officers took a minute to look over the whole battlefield. The man continued to yell out insults and challenges. Sun Jian turned to his officers, but before he could talk he heard a different man's voice yell out. He turned around to see Ling Cao, astride a horse, charging out through the gate.

Wielding his long halberd, he yelled out, "Stand down you brigand! You will not insult my lord anymore!"

Gan Ning, believing it was Sun Jian, smiled wickedly to himself. But as the man got closer he could see the worn, brown leather armor the man wore. Looking at him, Ning realized this couldn't be a man of rank. It was not Sun Jian. His rage exploded.

"YOUR NOT WHO I WANT!"

He fitted an arrow, and pulled back on the bow with all his strength. He released the arrow and flew straight through the air, striking Ling Cao in his upper right chest. The force of the arrow knocked him completely of his horse and he lost consciousness.

Back up on the wall, the generals watched in horror, as Ling Cao went down. Before any of them could even react, Ling Tong was already gone. Grabbing a horse, he charged out onto the field, heading straight for the body.

Gan Ning fitted another arrow and took aim again, but Xia Fen called out to his to stop. He allowed the young boy to retrieve the body and carry it back inside. Looking up on the wall, a flicker of light caught his eye. He squinted and saw a man wearing red armor. He eyed him with all the fury in his heart.

Sun Jian made sure that Ling Cao was attended to, then went back up on the wall. Walking forward, he leaned out over the battlements, his officers all standing back waiting for him to speak..

"Alright so chances are he isn't just some undisciplined barbarian, he has some martial might. What should we do?"

"We should wait and see what happens. If he charges the city or shows any other form of aggression then he is just a brigand and there is no trap. But if he remains or leaves, that will show it was a trap. We can then send out some cavalry to reconnoiter around the area and try and find who's planning this." Zhou Yu proposed.

"Sounds good."

Sun Jian turned around, rubbing his temples. He looked reassuringly at his family behind him. Suddenly he was jolted forward. He remained standing, but his face became stiff. His mouth open and his eyes looked of into the distance. He fell first to his knees, then fell flat on his face. An arrow protruded from the center of his back.


	4. Truth

AN: Sorry this has taken so long, I don't know what's wrong with me. Thanks for all the reviews and please keep them coming. I promise I will try and get back on track, especially if I get some reviews. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 4 "Truth"

Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Sun Jian fell to his knees, his eyes went blank. Then he fell flat on his face. Not one person moved. Everyone, especially his family, expected him to just get up and shake it off. But he didn't. Time went by, what seemed like an eternity. The tears started to well up in his family's eyes.

"Daddy?" Sun Shang Xiang ran over to the body, breaking down tearfully over him.

Sun Ce and Sun Quan joined her. They carefully turned their father over, and could see that he was dead. Shang Xiang went crying into her brother's arm for comfort, Quan hugged his sister while looking at his father in disbelief, Ce reacted a bit differently than them. Standing up slowly, rage started to build up in his face.

His face red and his breath heavy, Ce yelled. "Prepare the troops!" He ran quickly toward the stables, followed quickly by Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu.

Sun Quan and his sister remained with the body. After a few minutes, the medics came up on the wall and picked up the body and take it to the infirmary. Quan left his sister to escort the body. After reaching their destination, and seeing the body go inside, he turned to find his sister, but she was nowhere to be found. Thinking she wanted to just be alone, he let her be.

Gan Ning sat on his horse, still holding the arrow in his bow. He saw the red figure go down and could tell by all the commotion that Sun Jian had been hit.

He turned around and angrily questioned his men. "Who shot that! I said, WHO SHOT THAT!"

None of his men came forward. Suddenly, the gate of the city was thrown open. Ning turned around to see hundreds of Wu soldiers pouring out towards them. Throwing away his bow, he unsheathed his sword, yelled out for his men to follow, and he charged out into the red mass.

The Wu army far outnumbered and outmatched Ning's band. They quickly surrounded the small force, and, with their superior weapons and armor, picked them apart. Gan Ning could see he was losing badly, he charged right and left, cutting and slashing men down from atop his horse. As he went crossing the battlefield again, he was stopped by Xia Fen.

"Ning, the battle is lost and we're completely surrounded."

"So we fight to the death." Ning was about to spur his horse forward, but he was stopped again.

"Yes, we must...but you must not. Ning you have to survive this."

"What? Fen, I will not abandon the men."

"Look at us Ning, our lives are already half over, but you...you still have much to live for."

"Fen..."

"Your father didn't want you to be like this, to die like this. Destiny has much more in store for you. I've sat back and watched for too long, this is it!" Xia Fen took the horse by the reins and pointed it away from the city. "NOW GET OUT OF HERE!" As hard as he could, Fen slapped the backside of Ning's horse sending it into a panicked gallop.

Ning lost control. The reins were out of reach and he desperately held on to the horse's mane. The horse was able to break through the Wu line, carrying its rider to safety. The soldiers, in their blood lust, did not even notice the lone rider. Ning was carried up a hill, just as they were about to descend the other side, he turned and looked over the battlefield. He spotted Xia Fen, just as a large tonfa came crashing down on his head. He quickly turned back forward, bit his lip, and concentrated on gaining control of his horse again.

It took a while, but the horse eventually grew tired. It had taken over a li away from the city. Ning took one last look back, before turning around and walking the horse slowly northward. His head was completely filled, he had so much to think about. The future, the past, everything in his life had to be looked over. What would he do? Where would he go? He had just started to think up these questions when his reflexes pulled him out of it. A chakram had come spinning out of the forest. Ning raised his sword just in time, deflecting the spinning object, sending it flying just past his head. Recovering quickly, he looked angrily toward the source of the projectile.

What he saw come out of the forest stunned him. A horse came walking out of the forest. It's rider was a tall, slender girl. She wore simple red shorts and top, and she held a chakram in her left hand. Her short brown hair waved lightly in the wind, and her green eyes were tinted red. He could tell she had been crying, and her face showed that she was extremely angry.

She brought the horse up to a few yards away from him. "Do you know who I am?" She spoke quietly. "Do you know who my father was?...yes, my father was" She suddenly exploded, "Because you killed him you bastard!"

Gan Ning was surprised by the sudden change, but he didn't show it. He made no move to speak.

She continued yelling "You shot him in the back. You shot him in the back and ran...like a coward." She looked down at the ground, the tears started to flow. She became quiet again. "My father, Sun Jian, was a great man. He was the strongest warrior, the smartest general...the best father. He is gone for ever now...because of you." She looked up and exploded again. "YOU KILLED HIM, YOU SHOT HIM WHILE HE WASN'T EVEN LOOKING. HAVE YOU NO MERCY, HAVE YOU NO HONOR. YOU OUR JUST A...

Hearing her praise the man he hated so much and talk of such things like honor, angered him beyond belief. And it came boiling over. "HONOR? MERCY? WHERE WAS YOUR FATHER'S MERCY WHEN HE FIRED ON A SHIP CARRYING MY FAMILY. MY FATHER, MY MOTHER, MY SISTERS...I WATCHED, FIFTY YARDS AWAY, AS THEY WERE BURNED...ALIVE!...I'm glad your father's dead, the only regret I have is that I didn't kill him myself!"

Shang Xiang looked up and her eyes widened as she heard him, but she quickly eyed him angrily. "Your lying. My father would never of done any of that. He was a great man, you are nothing compared to him. Your a murderer. NOTHING BUT A MURDERER.  
"Believe me little girl. If I had killed your father his head would be on the end of my sword and I would be dragging his rotting carcass through the dirt."

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP YOU BASTARD" She had had enough. Her chakram in hand, she charged her horse forward.

She put all her strength and anger into her attack. A normal soldier would have had no chance, but Gan Ning was far from a normal soldier. Ning parried the blow. Shang Xiang had swung too wildly, the parry sent her chakram out of her grip. With his other hand he grabbed Shang Xiang by her throat and pulled her completely off her horse. He then sat there watching as she desperately tried to wretch herself free of his grasp. He watched as she tried to breathe, with a cold and uncaring face. But then suddenly an emotion overcame him. He couldn't tell what but he guessed it was pity. He let her go and sighed at his own weakness.

Shang Xiang fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. As she gained back her senses. She looked past him as she lay on the ground, back toward the forest. A glint of light caught her eye. As she looked closer, she could see what it was. A crossbowman stood with his weapon aimed toward her, she looked through the forest and saw at least a dozen more. Gan Ning looked down at her and saw how she was looking toward the forest. He turned around quickly and saw what she saw.

He then went completely on instinct. He jumped down and covered her with his own body. A click was heard, as the crossbows were released. Bolts whizzed through the air. Ning horse was hit and went down quickly. Once the initial volley was over, Ning quickly gathered up Shang Xiang and carried her to her horse. He quickly mounted with her in his lap and pushed the horse forward.

Sun Shang Xiang was losing consciousness. All the activity had made her even worse. She started to black out. The last thing she saw was him, and the bolt that was sticking out of his shoulder.


	5. Amends

AN: Ok, here's another chapter. It's kind of late and kind of short, so sorry. But hope you enjoy anyway. And please leave a review, the more reviews I get the faster I'll update.

Chapter 5 "Amends"

Sun Shang Xiang woke up lightly. Her first thought was how beautiful a day it was. She could see the clear blue sky and a bright, shining sun. It took her a moment to remember what had happened. Panicking, she quickly checked over her body. To her relief, she found no wounds or bolts protruding from her body.

Looking around, she saw him. He was sitting up against the base of a tree, not too far away from her. Even in their situation, she couldn't help but think about how handsome he was, but she quickly shook those thoughts away. His eyes were closed and the bolt was still in his shoulder.

'Ok, he's either dead or sleeping. Either way, I'm getting out of here.' She thought. She sat up and looked to see which direction she should go. Looking back at the injured man, a pang of guilt went through her. 'Those crossbowman were aiming at me, but he saved me...why?'

As she was thinking, Gan Ning awoke. He saw the girl, sitting up and looking down at the ground, obviously in deep thought.

"Are you injured?" He asked softly.

Shang Xiang shot her head around and looked at him, obviously surprised. "umm...yeah...I'm not..no...I'm fine!" She stuttered. "You...you saved me...didn't you?"

A small smile appeared on his face. "ehh, they were shooting at me too. I had to save myself anyway."

Shang Xiang ignored what he said and made her decision. "Earlier, you told me you didn't kill my father, was that the truth?"

"Had I killed you..."

"Yes or No?" She angrily interrupted.

Gan Ning looked at her for a second before answering, "Yes, it's true."

"For some reason...I believe you. And...I don't care whether you believe me or not...but...my father could never of done the things you said." Gan Ning made a move to speak but Shang Xiang stopped him. "No, we'll leave it at that."

The two became quiet. Minutes went by, they both looked around trying not to seem nervous to the other.

Sun Shang Xiang was the first to break the silence, she looked at him, "How's your shoulder?"

Gan Ning looked down at the sharp point sticking through him. He did not say anything, but a slight smile appeared on his face.

"We should head back to the city. Our surgeons will be able to remove it."

"Are you crazy little girl, they would sooner rip me apart in there..."

"My name is not little girl! If you leave that bolt in there, it'll get infected."

Gan Ning reached his had up slowly and made a firm grip on the bolt's shaft. Taking a deep breath, he ripped it quickly out. He grunted from the pain but did nothing else, as the blood started to flow freely from the wound.

Sun Shang Xiang was shocked by the site. She ran forward toward him, not really caring anymore. First, she tried to stop the bleeding with her hand. She covered the wound and applied pressure, as she looked for something to cover it. She took over her headband and wrapped it twice underneath his arm and around his shoulder. This covered the wound, but the blood still freely flowed down his arm. She quickly ripped what pieces of her clothes she could, and stuffed it underneath her headband. This seemed to do the trick. Blood stopped pouring to the ground.

Sun Shang Xiang sat back and sighed. Ning looked over her work and nodded his head in satisfaction, "That's pretty good." He looked up at her, a slight smile on his face, "Thanks."

He looked back down, Shang Xiang remained seated a few feet away, she took the time to look over something she thought she noticed before. "You're Gan Ning of the bells aren't you." She said, pointing towards the four golden bells on his belt.

The smile on his face grew larger, "You've heard of me?"

"I've heard some mixed tales from some travelers."

"Mixed?"

"Some stories made you out to be a ruthless, bloodthirsty murderer who didn't care for the lives of innocent people, and then others made you out to be a nameless hero who would save thousands then disappear faster then you came. I just always thought you were an ass."

The two laughed together, for the first time they forgot about all their troubles. But this blissful moment was followed by a long period of silence, but this time it wasn't as an uncomfortable a silence as before.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Shang Xiang asked.

"We? Oh, no no no no no! Your going back to your home."

"Don't even think about it, I'm the reason your shot and I'm not leaving until your better."

"I'm telling you, you don't want to get involved with me. You have no idea what I'm going to do."

"Oh, what? Are you going to go save some people then run away? Please, I don't think your all that your hyped up to be. If you knew who I was, you'd know I always get what I want. So I'm coming whether you like it or not."

"Geez, are you always this stubborn." She made no move just stared right back at him, he let out a deep breath, "Fine." Sun Shang Xiang almost squealed. "We need to go find out who shot at us."

Sun Shang Xiang happily nodded, then got up to retrieve their horse. Gan Ning slowly stood up, and the two started walking back in the direction they had come. They had know idea where their small adventure would lead them.

AN: Please leave a review.


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